Chheangkea’s Little Phnom Penh wins the fourth MunichFilmUp!
- The mentoring and residency programme has celebrated its fourth edition with a special event in Cannes, where Chheangkea was honoured with the €5,000 Kirch Foundation Award
The fourth edition of MunichFilmUp!, the seven-month mentoring and residency programme for recent film-school graduates, concluded with a ceremony at the Plage des Palmes in Cannes during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Organised by HFF München (University of Television and Film, Munich), in cooperation with Tatino Films’ Pop Up Film Residency, and in partnership with Festival of Future Storytellers and Filmfest München, the initiative continues to support six emerging writer-directors annually as they develop their first or second features.
The €5,000 Kirch Foundation Award was handed to Cambodian-US filmmaker Chheangkea for his feature project Little Phnom Penh, a generational drama spanning decades and continents. The jury praised the project, describing it as “a heartwarming take on a family and generational drama that spans decades and cultures, from Cambodia to the USA. It's a sensitive and well-balanced approach to complex themes such as family, immigration and choice, which are particularly important in current times. This is one of the projects we would really like to see, and we wish to congratulate all participants for their dedication and achievements.”
The award was decided upon by a four-member international jury: Filipino producer Alemberg Ang, Brazilian screenwriter Helen Beltrame Linné, German producer Nicole Gerhards and Italian producer Giovanni Pompili. Upon receiving the prize, Chheangkea remarked: “Thank you so much to MunichFilmUp! for providing such crucial development support to this project over the past few months. The script would not be where it is today without it. And to the jury, thank you for believing in this film. I’m walking away more motivated than ever, confident in the universality of this deeply personal Cambodian story.”
The programme, co-directed by Matthieu Darras and Elena Diesbach, and coordinated by Ivana Hucikova and Antonia Lindner, offered personalised mentorship, project residencies and pitch coaching tailored to each filmmaker’s specific needs. Throughout the programme, participants worked with renowned international industry mentors to reach the first draft of their scripts.
This year’s edition marked a milestone, with MunichFilmUp! making its first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, underlining its growing reputation as a hub for promising international filmmakers. Reinhard Scolik, of the Kirch Foundation, noted: “The Kirch Foundation is dedicated to supporting culture and education – and especially young talent with fresh ideas. That’s exactly what MunichFilmUp! is all about: giving emerging filmmakers the chance to grow, connect and develop their projects with international input. I’m sure the jury had the chance to see some truly impressive projects, and it’s inspiring to witness so much creativity and passion.”
Following the tradition of highlighting emerging talent, this year’s cohort featured filmmakers from Cambodia/USA, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, the Czech Republic and Germany. Notably, the programme has recognised bold new voices in previous years, rewarding Cameroonian director Cyrielle Raingou, Chinese filmmaker Viv Li and Lebanese helmer Leila Basma at past editions. The fifth edition of MunichFilmUp! is expected to launch later this year, with submissions opening via the programme’s official website.
Here is the list of participants in the 2024-2025 edition of MunichFilmUp!:
18th Birthday – Aizada Amangeldy (Kyrgyzstan)
Bumper Cars – Maximilian Bungarten (Germany)
Little Phnom Penh – Chheangkea (Cambodia/USA)
Nothing Sadder than a Limo – Cristina Iliescu (Romania)
The Delivery – Jakub Jirásek (Czech Republic)
Delulu – Hanna Stock (Germany)
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